Refugees International Calls for Full and Independent Investigation into Killing of Alex Pretti, Congressional Oversight of DHS Spending
Statement from Refugees International:
“For the second time in less than a month, federal officers have gunned down a U.S. citizen in Minneapolis. The killing of Alex Pretti is indefensible. Federal immigration enforcement is terrorizing entire communities with staggering violence and utter impunity.
Refugees International calls for a full and independent investigation into the events surrounding Pretti’s death. Local and state officials must be full partners in the investigation. No agency should be allowed to investigate itself behind closed doors. We demand accountability for this killing.
This is not an isolated incident. When lethal force becomes a recurring feature of immigration operations in neighborhoods and near protests, it signals that there is a mandate to use force and intimidation and a lack of basic law enforcement standards and democratic oversight.
Congress has both the power and the responsibility to act. It must not provide further funding to ICE and CBP under these conditions of wanton abuse and zero accountability. Instead, it must include in the DHS appropriations bill consequential limits on DHS enforcement operations, such as language that legally enforces constraints on ICE and CBP officers, including robust limits on the use of force and clear accountability mechanisms to remove and discipline federal agents. It should also bar CBP operations in interior cities, bar arrests at sensitive locations like schools, churches, and hospitals, and prohibit dragnet operations targeting people based on their race. Congress should also prevent the secret transferring of funds for deportation and mandate increased oversight of detention facilities.
Refugees International stands in solidarity with immigrants and refugees being terrorized in Minneapolis and across the country – and with those who are bravely demonstrating and providing support to ensure their safety, dignity, and belonging.”
For more information or to schedule an interview, contact Etant Dupain edupain@refugeesinternational.org.